Former Ohio State Star Clarett Sought In Robbery

Updated: Jan. 2, 2006, 3:08 PM ETReport: Man not sure it was Clarett who robbed him
As police continued to search for Maurice Clarett, a man who told police he was robbed in an alley behind a bar early Sunday says he doesn't know if it was the former Denver Broncos running back dressed in black who told him to empty his pockets.

Lucas Nyarko, 28, told The Columbus Dispatch that he hopes it was just someone who looked like the 22-year-old, who helped Ohio State win the national championship in 2002.

Nyarko told police he couldn't identify Clarett as the man who robbed him and his friend, The Dispatch reported.

But police were searching for Clarett, who was accused of using a gun to rob Nyarko and a friend shortly before 2 a.m. Sunday. Nyarko said his friend identified Clarett after police showed her photographs, and police said the bar owner, who came outside during the robbery, knew Clarett.

Detectives are following up on tips on possible locations, said Sgt. Michael Woods, a police spokesman.

"But right now, none of those have proved of value," Woods said.

According to police, Clarett left in a white sport utility vehicle with two other men and took only a cell phone from his alleged victims, who weren't injured. He was wanted on two counts of aggravated robbery.

Nyarko said he and his friend were approached by a man dressed in black, who told them he needed something. Nyarko said the man pulled up his shirt and showed them a gun tucked in his pants. The man moved the gun to the front of his waistband and told them to empty their pockets.

Nyarko said after he handed the man his cell phone, a woman came out of the bar and yelled, "Maurice!" in greeting to the man, who hugged her. He then carried the woman, who police said was bar owner Tashona Corvi, toward the SUV, put her down and got in the vehicle.

Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said he was informed of the incident on his way to the Fiesta Bowl news conference in Scottsdale, Ariz.

"Obviously, my reaction to that is it's sad," Tressel said, "because, as I said the last few times people have brought up the subject, my hope would be that he would have an opportunity to go over to NFL Europe and make a comeback.

"I hope it's not true, but beyond that, I don't know much, but my reaction is, I was sad."

Before Sunday's incident, Clarett was negotiating a deal and was likely going to sign with an NFL team on Monday, Josh Luchs, one of Clarett's agents, told ESPN The Magazine's Tom Friend.

Clarett was expected to be allocated to NFL Europe if he signed, Friend reported.

"She is shocked. She was getting ready to go to church and I told her there was an arrest warrant for Maurice. She was like, 'What?'" he said.

A message was left Sunday at Michelle Clarett's home in Youngstown.

Clarett rushed for 1,237 yards and scored 16 touchdowns as a freshman. He sat out the 2003 season after he was charged with misdemeanor falsification for filing a police report claiming that more than $10,000 in clothing, CDs, cash and stereo equipment was stolen from a car he borrowed from a local dealership. He later pleaded guilty to a lesser charge.

Ohio State suspended Clarett for misleading investigators, and for receiving special benefits worth thousands of dollars from a family friend.

In an interview with ESPN The Magazine in November 2004, Clarett said coaches and boosters arranged for him to get passing grades, cars and thousands of dollars while at Ohio State. None of the allegations were verified and Clarett never responded to NCAA requests to be interviewed about them as part of its investigation into Ohio State's athletic program.

Clarett also unsuccessfully challenged the NFL's requirement that players wait three years after high school before turning pro in a case that went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Clarett was chosen by the Broncos in last year's draft, but the team cut him in August.

Ahh, yeah, this is the story that's been playing on the local news here in what seems to be a continuous loop (I'm in Columbus, also). It's kind of a disillusioning story all around. Does anyone know the reason that the Denver Broncos cut him last August?

That pretty well sums it up, Unk.
As a Buckeye (OSU class of '81) living among the Big 12 infidels, I cringe whenever Clarett's name is mentioned. Here, it seems that the locals know only two things about Ohio State--Coach Hayes' temper (I prefer to think of it as passion for the game), and Clarett's fall from grace. Tsk

Grand Jury Indicts Clarett

Maurice Clarett faces a seven count indictment, charges that could send him to prison for more than 20 years.

The former Ohio State running back is accused of aggravated robbery; a robbery committed with a gun.

No one says Clarett ever took that gun out of the waist of his pants, but the law doesn't care. If you show it, it's the same as if you pointed it at someone.

The grand jury indicted Clarett on two counts of aggravated robbery, four counts of lesser robbery offenses and one count of carrying a concealed weapon, all with the so-called gun specification, which adds a mandatory three years to any sentence.

This scene of the alleged crime is the Opium Lounge on South High Street. Two witnesses told the Franklin County grand jury they were robbed early New Year's Day and a third witness, the owner of the club, identified Clarett.

Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O'Brien says great care was taken to be fair in this case because Clarett is so well known. Two of his senior prosecutors actually interviewed the witnesses before the case went to the grand jury.

"I think we've had quite a bit and more than we have in the 9,000 indictments we do every year and the reason was to make sure the witness statements were accurate in advance," says O'Brien.

Clarett was in jail overnight back in January when he was first arrested. He is not being arrested this time; instead he is to appear before a judge February 24. That sets the trial process in motion.

The maximum sentence on all of these charges is 24-and-a-half years in jail.

The police are also seeking the 2 people in the SUV that Clarett left the scene with. Stupid jerk.

Clarett arrestted again!

MAURICE CLARETT ARRESTED

This morning police arrested OSU's former star football player, Maurice Clarett. However, Columbus Police say the biggest shock came when they found guns, a bullet-proof vest and alcohol inside the vehicle he was driving.

Officers say the former running back made a U-turn on Brice Road in East Columbus around 2:40 am Wednesday morning. Officers tried to pull the SUV over, but the driver refused to stop. He led Columbus Police on a chase along I-70 and ended up back on Brice road. Officers threw out stop sticks, blowing out two of the tires. The vehicle finally came to a stop in the parking lot of TeeJaye's Restaurant on Brice Road.

Police say they tried to take Clarett into custody, but he resisted arrest. Efforts to taser him failed because the taser gun could not penetrate the bullet-proof vest he was wearing. Together, several officers were finally able to restrain him.

Officers say Clarett has several weapons in the car: one assault rifle and three hand guns. NewsCenter also saw the officers pull a bottle of vodka out of the vehicle.

Clarett sat at the scene in a patty wagon for several minutes, appearing irate. Police drove him to downtown Columbus, and booked him into the Franklin County Jail just before 5:00am. Columbus Police Sergeant Mike Woods says Clarett will face a long list of charges.http://www.wsyx6.com/newsroom/oh/top...opstory1.shtml

Once again this idiot gets in trouble. He still hasn't gone to trial for the armed robbery yet. The gun they found was an assault rifle.
ETA He also had 4 pistols and the location he was arrested is only a couple of blocks from the prime witness in the robbery.

When asked why Clarett was wearing a bullet proof vest when arrested, his lawyer stated Clarett was returning from his mother's house in Yougstown and it is quite common to see people wearing tank tops and bullet proof vests in the nighborhood. Yeah, right.